Winds don't deter history buffs on LCHS Fall Tour

By Norma Kraemer, LCHS President

The fall Lawrence County Historical Society had a great tour on Saturday, September 28.  The weather was bright and sunny, although high winds followed us on our route.  About 25 people drove to the various locations that started with the Anderson Ranch near Whitewood. 

Whitewood native Elaine Albrandt (left) poses with Hank Frawley (right) in front of her painting of the James Anderson Ranch, drawn from a circa 1890 photo.

We were blessed with Hank Frawley being our host and guide to his great grandparents’ ranch. He has spent the last few decades trying to restore the historic buildings that made up a very successful dairy farm before the turn of the 20th Century.  Most of the restoration is completed, which was aided by Deadwood Historic Preservation grants. 

Touring historic Anderson Ranch near Whitewood

The Anderson Ranch had beautiful stone construction that needed major renovation.  Hank found it better to gut the structures, repair the exterior walls, and redo the interiors.  He talked of the challenges of finding historically accurate materials to do the job right.  He also showed us some of the other artifacts found during restoration and talked of how the location of the ranch has probably been a popular place for human habitation for thousands of years, based on the Indian artifacts found.  Because of the spring that supplies water year round at about 40°F, it made the dairy possible before there was electricity. 

Little Dane Church

After over an hour at the Anderson Ranch we headed to the Little Dane Church to view the historic church and cemetery.  While no longer an active congregation, the church and its well-maintained cemetery are a tribute to the Scandinavian settlers along Dry Creek, south of St. Onge.

We then proceeded to the Minuteman Missile site K-05 as we drove towards St. Onge.  After explaining its significance during the Cold War, Vernon Davis talked about his experiences as a contractor in maintaining the sites. 

Next on the tour was a picnic lunch at the St. Onge City Park.  Thank goodness the park had a windbreak so we had a respite from the wind.  After showing historic pictures of early St. Onge and Vernon Davis talking about what we would be seeing we set out on a walking tour of the town to see what remains today.  

An historic building (1910) in St. Onge

Then we drove up to the Rodeo Grounds to see the tombstone of Jimmy Irons.  Headed back to St. Onge we looked at the abandoned school that had an enrollment at one time of 100 students, the last remaining church, the UCC church and then the city cemetery that has two entrances, one for the Catholics and one for the Protestants.  Vernon Davis had grown up in the area and added unique insights to the area history that is much appreciated. 

After this successful tour, we need to start thinking Spring and where we can go next?  

(Note:  Thanks to Sam Namminga, Mary Gallup-Livingston, and Norma Kraemer for sharing photos!  You'll find a wide array of photographs in our LCHS Gallery)

Davis busy on speaking trail

LCHS life member Vernon Davis has been a busy man for the past few weeks, speaking before a couple of audiences in Lawrence and Butte counties.

On January 3rd, Davis spoke to about 75 members of the Spearfish Area Historical Society in Spearfish about his great uncle, "Buckskin" Johnny Spaulding, who was a key figure in the history surrounding the old Spearfish stockade.  It was just one of many chapters of history about Spaulding, who was among early pioneers in this region of South Dakota.

Then on January 7th, Davis was on the speaking circuit again -- albeit to a somewhat smaller group -- regarding cemetery preservation.

You can read more about his cemetery presentation in Belle Fourche by simply clicking on this link to the online Butte County Post.

Spring Tour: a few notes and photos

Weather put a damper on plans for the original LCHS Spring Tour in June, but it turned a new leaf in July and provided a very nice day for a tour through several sites in Lawrence and Butte County.

Veteran member Vernon Davis provided the background as a group of morning folks gathered at the Spearfish City Park to begin the tour. Within the park area, there's an old stone grain storage building, artifacts from an old flour mill, a Pioneer Memorial that used to grace downtown Spearfish, and more. Not far from the entry to the park is the site of an old stockade that was built to protect local folks just after the Custer massacre.
                     

Next on the itinerary was St. Onge and the burial site of Jimmy Irion (Iron), the gent hired by the Boughton and Beary Ranch to serve as a lookout against indians while men worked in the nearby hay fields. Irion and several other men were killed by indians on September 10, 1876, and buried atop the bluff where he had died.

A stop at the location of old Minnesela was next, and tour members were able to take a first-hand look at the structure believed to be the only surviving building from the once-thriving community that rivaled Belle Fource as a center of commerce in the area. That building is shown in the photo above at right, as tour members inspected it.

Although we don't have tour day photos from the planned stop at the Center of the Nation Museum and the adjacent log cabin that belong to "Buckskin" Johnny Spaulding, we did click some on a preview trip taken a few months ago. Those preview photos, along with a few others taken by Jerry Bryant during the July 10 tour, can be found in our Historical Marker Gallery.  One of the most delightful spots on the tour route was Cox's Lake. We extracted the photo shown here from a neat panorama shot that Jerry Bryant took on the day of the tour. It's in the gallery, too. The lake is along the route taken by the Colonel Nelson Cole Expedition of 1865. You can see Crow Peak in the background at right, as Vernon Davis shares information about this site.

As others provide more information -- and any photos -- we'll add them to this location.

Davis cops history award

Tireless cemetery guru Vernon Davis of Beulah, Wyoming, a Lawrence County Historical Society member, has been duly recognized for his hard work in cemetery preservation and restoration.

First, Davis was one of several Black Hills region folks featured in stories published last summer by the Rapid City Journal and the Lawrence County Journal. Staff writer Tim Velder noted that Davis and others are working with youth organizations like 4-H and Boy Scouts in an effort to get their assistance in taking care of neglected cemeteries.

“All of our history is in those cemeteries,” Davis was quoted as saying. “All of those people are our history. If we’re not going to take care of the cemeteries, then we aren’t going to take care of anything else.” Read the entire “Cemeteries” story.

Davis, who is a lifetime member of the society, was also honored in late September at the West River History Conference in Rapid City for his work related to cemeteries. He was presented with 2009 Herbert W. Blakely Award.

In the photo above, society member Jeannine Guern of Deadwood helps Davis admire the award during the LCHS meeting October 18th in Lead.

Wild Wyoming!

About 20 people joined us last weekend (9/20/09) for the Fall Tour of the Lawrence County Historical Society – providing a close-up view of coal mining and other early history of our neighbors in Crook County Wyoming.

Bus driver Billy Vaughn of Dakota Bus Service helped members load up for the day-long trek from the parking lot at Black Hills State University in Spearfish to multiple sites in and around Aladdin and Sundance, Wyoming.

We heard comments like “wonderful,” “terrific,” and “let’s do it again!”

Between LCHS President Jerry Bryant and members Jim Weaver and Vernon Davis, there was lots of information relayed en route to our various destinations.

Vernon talked about a few landmarks near Belle Fourche, including old Minnesela, the route used by the Lakota Sioux when they returned from the 1876 battle at the Little Big Horn, the brick factory, the old railroad track bed, and the site of the old Black Hills Power & Light plant. He also shared stories about his great uncle, “Buckskin” Johnny Spalding, one of the many colorful characters whose lives helped create the fabric of western lore.

Jim Weaver pointed out some of the trail used by Custer’s troops during the 1874 expedition into the Black Hills. It followed Wyoming Highway 111 for several miles, including land now ranched by one of Jim’s cousins.

Many folks who’ve raced westward across Wyoming Highway 24 on their way to Hulett and Devil’s Tower have stopped to visit the Aladdin General Store, but few of them have taken the time to explore the Aladdin Coal Tipple, lurking behind the trees on the north side of the road just before arriving in Aladdin.

The tipple is a delight! Built in about 1898 as part of coal mining operations in the Aladdin area, it is believed to be one of the last historic wooden coal tipples remaining in the west. From here, coal was loaded on to rail cars of the old Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad short line for the 18-mile transport to the Chicago and Northwestern Railway line in Belle Fourche.

One of the signs at the site notes that “The tipple consists of two distinct parts: the coal bin, which is the large gable-roofed structure (uphill portion) and the chutes (downhill portion). The gable-roofed structure would receive and store the coal for the sorting and loading process. When the door at the bottom of the bin was opened, the tapered, funnel shape of the bin floor would gravity feed the coal to the chute system…remains of a catwalk are visible on the east side of the tipple. From the catwalk, the tipple operator would coax the coal down the chute, pulling and poking the coal with a handled tool.”

Many of our LCHS tour group navigated to the top of the hill, which overlooks the tipple and allows closer examination of the coal bin, mine entrance, hoist house and air ventilation shaft. In 1899, as many as 80 workers were employed by the mine, and it produced some 7,402 tons of coal.

From the tipple, the tour went to the Aladdin General Store, a place where you’ll find a little bit of everything. Folks who’ve not spent time poring through the merchandise and historical artifacts are missing a great opportunity. Built in 1892, the two-story structure remains a highlight for visitors to this Crook County community of 15 persons!

We retreated across the road from the store to the City Park for a picnic lunch and a briefing by local historian Pam Thompson, who recounted the rich history of Aladdin and the surrounding area, including the tipple.

We’ve included more information and photographs about Pam’s talk–and the entire tour–in our LCHS Photo Gallery.

Then it was off to the Crook County Museum in Sundance, via the route used by Custer in 1874 while he was exploring the Black Hills region. Jim Weaver provided great information about the Custer route along the way.

The museum staff in Sundance went above and beyond the call of duty, coming out on a Sunday to share their hospitality and knowledge of area history. Situated on the lower level of the Crook County Courthouse, the museum claims over 7,000 artifacts, including dioramas of Devil’s Tower, Vore Buffalo Jump, the Custer Expedition, and the first experimental nuclear power plant. Of course, there’s loads of information about Harry Longabaugh, who gained notoriety as the “Sundance Kid,” well-know partner of the infamous Butch Cassidy. The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday in the months of June, July and August. And it’s free! You can find more information on the web at Crook County Museum.

Leaving the museum, our group was met with dark clouds, rain, and a bit of wind. Nonetheless, temptation called and several of the group hiked up the street to partake of generously-portioned ice cream cones. “A bit of wind” may be an understatement for the weather we experienced in the vicinity of Warren Peak. By the time we arrived at the historic fire watchtower, only a part of the group was bold enough to scale the steps up several flights for a more rare view of the region. Alas, the nasty weather cut short our panoramic view of Bear Lodge and surrounding area.

Weather and time necessitated that we bypass the Vore Buffalo Jump near Beulah. So much to see, so much to do. So little time.

Such is the plight of history buffs! But chalk up the Fall Tour as another great experience for many LCHS members.